Ongoing Rotation Shuffle Continues As Giolito Goes On IL With Elbow Inflammation

The San Diego Padres starting rotation has been a revolving door for most of the season, and the latest starter to exit via injuries is Lucas Giolito, who was placed on the 15-day IL after experiencing right elbow inflammation after his last start.
JP Sears took Giolito’s place in the rotation and had a strong outing against the Atlanta Braves in the third game of the Padres three-game sweep, and manager Craig Stammen sounded hopeful that Giolito wouldn’t be out for long.
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“I think we caught it early, so I don’t think it’s super severe,” manager Craig Stammen said of Giolito’s injury in a piece written by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “He’s just got some inflammation in there, just a little irritated. He’ll probably be down from throwing for a couple days, then get back at it.”
The Padres took a risk when they signed Giolito in late April, and this injury isn’t surprising. He has a history of elbow trouble, and he didn’t make his debut until mid-May. Giolito has had a couple of decent starts, but his overall ERA of 5.16 was the result of his velocity being down on alll of his pitches, according to Cassavell.
The plan is to shut down Giolito for a short time, then try to build him back up again to see if he can make it back into the rotation. Giolito isn’t exactly unique on the Padrs staff, as Stammen noted.
“We’ve got guys that are a little older, guys that have had injury history, and we’re trying to be overly cautious with keeping them healthy throughout the entire season,” Stammen said. “We’re trying to put their best interests in mind, not only for themselves personally, but also for the team, so that we get the best version of all of them.”
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The right-hander informed the Padres staff that his elbow was bothering him after his last start on Sunday in Texas, and to some extent his performance this year mirrors what he did with the Boston Red Sox last year, when he pitched well but then had to be shut down due to elbow inflammation.
“We’ve all pitched through a bunch of stuff in our careers,” said Stammen, who has been there, done that as a reliever himself. “I’m sure Lucas has a ton. It’s probably what he was trying to do last year, and then it bit him in the backside — missed the playoffs and missed the [rest of] the season. So we’re just trying to stay out ahead of it.”
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